LibriVox recording of Fishke the Lame, by Mendele Mocher Sforim. Read by Omri Lernau.

This reading is in Hebrew.

Mendele Mocher Seforim (Literary name for Shalom Jacob Abramovitsch) (1835 - 1917, b. Kapulye, Belorussia), one of the first modern Jewish writers, wrote in both Hebrew and Yiddish throughout his career. In his work he described with sharp satirical criticism the traditional life in small Jewish towns, as well as tendencies for assimilation of learned Jews at the time. He was regarded as the "grandfather of Yiddish literature," but the Hebraic-Zionist atmosphere in Odessa influenced him, and in 1886 he turned to writing Hebrew fiction.

The Book of Beggars, or Fishke the Lame, was one of the first romances written in Hebrew in Eastern Europe. It was published in Yiddish in 1869 and later translated into Hebrew by the author. Mendeli used a satirical style mixed with tears and compassion to describe Jews of the lowest classes in small poor communities in Eastern Europe of the second half of the 19th century, organized to look for food and charity. This was the background for an entangled story of theft, rape and sentimental love, with an emphasis on suffering and hardships of women. (Summary by Omri Lernau)

For more free audio books or to become a volunteer reader, visit LibriVox.org.

M4B format available


This audio is part of the collection: The LibriVox Free Audiobook Collection
It also belongs to collections: Audio Books & Poetry; Community Audio

Artist/Composer: מנדלה מוכר ספרים Mendele Mocher Sforim
Date: 2008-07-06
Source: Librivox recording of a public-domain text
Keywords: מנדלה מוכר ספרים; ספר הקבצנים; Hebrew; literature; satire; Mendeli; Seforim; Librivox; audiobook

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

Individual Files

Be the first to write a review
Downloaded 3,465 times Reviews